Revolving musical instrument.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908. P. L. BRZINSKY & J. E. DE GETTB. REVOLVING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APP I0 011 D G. 0

L ATI FILE AU 10,19 7 zsHBETs-SHEET 1 Mam/rams J/IA ISS 15 N0 891,204 PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

' F. L. BRZINSKY & J; E. DB GETTB.

REVOLVING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' ing of a plate 4 and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. BRZINSKY AND JOHN E. DE GETTE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

REVOLVING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Application filed August 10, 1907. Serial No. 387,961.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK L. BRZINSKY and JOHN E. -DE GETTE, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Itevolving Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. 1

Our invention relates to devices adapted for use particularly in theatrical performances and particularly those of the vaudeville character, and the object of the inven tion is to provide means for supporting and moving a musical instrument having a key board whereby the playing of the instrument will be rendered extremely difficult.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end view of a piano with our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the piano elevated and illustrating the apparatus for raising it, and Fig. 4 illustrates the key action of the piano adapted for playing when the piano is right side up or inverted.

In the drawing, 2 represents an ordinary upright piano, 3 is a base provided in the rear of the piano and su porting a frame consistfiraces 5. Guy rods 6 are attached at their upper ends to the plate 4 and at their lower ends are fastened to the floor by securing means 6. These rods serve to stay and brace the mechanism during the operation of revolving the instrument. Upright parallel posts 7 are arranged between the base and plate and upon these posts 7 cross heads 8 and 9 are mounted and adapted to slide vertically. These cross heads are connected with one another by tie rods 10. A casting 11 is secured to the back of the piano and provided with a shaft 12 which has bearings in a box 18 on the cross head 9. When the cross heads are raised-the shaft 12 and the piano will be raised also vertically. Any suitable apparatus may be provided for raising the piano but we prefer to provide a cylinder 14 having a piston 15 provided with a rod or stem 16 that has a threaded connection with the boX 18. A pipe 17 leads into the lower end of the cylinder through which a fluid pressure may be admitted to lift the piston, raise the cross heads on the rods 7 and elevate the piano the desired distance from the fioor. WVhen the piano has been elevated to a suitable height we provide means for revolving it in a vertical plane, consisting preferably of a gear wheel 18 on the end of the shaft'12 operated by a pinion 19 mounted on the bearing boX 13 and provided with an o erating crank 20. By manipulating this cran the shaft 12 may be revolved and with it the musical instrument supported thereon.

While the piano is being revolved the performer will play on the instrument and continue playing during the complete revolution of the key board. This will be an extremely difficult feat, particularly when the key board is completely inverted or in the reverse from its normal position.

The first part of the performance will consist in playing the instrument while it is revolving with the musician standing in front of it. By bending the body the musician can follow the keys until the piano is nearly or quite inverted. The musician will then whirl suddenly with his back to the instrument and continue playing with his hands behind his back, palms uppermost. As the instrument continues to revolve and the keyboard again reaches its normal position the musician will turn facing the instrument and finger the keys in the usual way. The second part of the performance Will consist in strapping the musician to a seat so that he will revolve with the instrument, and to accomplish this we provide a standard 21 pivoted at 22 on a bar 23 at the base of the piano and supporting a seat 24 in which the musician is strapped. This securing of the musician in the seat so that he will be inverted with the piano as it revolves will form the second and concluding act of the performance.

When the piano is inverted the action of those partsof the mechanism that are influenced by gravity will be affected and we therefore provide a spring 25 in the key action which will cause the different parts of the mechanism to act normally even when the piano is partially or completely inverted. It will only be necessary to raise the piano a sufficient distance to clear the floor when it is revolved, though, of course should the apparatus be mad-e a feature of a circus the instrument may be elevated to a considerable height to make the feat appear more difficult and perilous.

The mechanism may be arranged to revolve the piano at any suitable speed and instead of supporting the instrument in a true vertical plane it may be suspended at an incline to the horizontal if preferred. The operation will, however, be substantially the same and the key board will be manipulated in the same manner.

We have shown the invention applied to a piano but it may be adapted for other musical instruments.

We claim as our invention:

1. The combination, with a musical instrument having a key board, of means for revolving the said instrument in a plane at an angle to the horizontal.

2. The combination, witha musical instrument having a key board, of means for revolving the instrument in a vertical plane.

3-. The combination, with a musical instru-- ment having a key board, of means for raising the instrument off the floor and means for revolving it in a plane at an angle to the horizontal.

4. The combination, with a musical instrument having a key board, of a seat for the musician mounted thereon and wherein the musician is secured, and means for revolving the said instrument and seat in a plane at an angle to the horizontal.

5. The combination, with a musical instrument, of a shaft mounted on the back of the instrument, upright posts whereon said shaft is slidable, means for raising said shaft and said instrument, and means for revolving said instrument in a plane at an angle to the horizontal.

6. The combination, with a musical instrument having means whereby the key action is made operative whether in its normal or an inverted position, of means for raising said instrument, and means for revolving it.

7. The combination, with a musical instrument, of a fluid pressure device adapted to raise the said instrument OK the floor, and means for revolving the said instrument in a Tplane at an angle to the horizontal when so raised.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 5th day of August 1907.

FRANK L. BRZINsK'Y. JOHN E. DE GETTE.

Witnesses:

J. B. ERA, J. H. BALDWIN. 

